Fire-ext



(No Model.)

' J. M. MILLER.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

No. 398,643. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

a Fa o w/r/vsssm uvmvrom P W MM M,

w ATTORNEYS.

to parts, Figure 1 is a llntrnn @TATES PATENT FFICEG JOSEPH M. MILLER, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 398,643, dated February 26, 1889.

Application filed January 23, 1888. Serial No. 261,689. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown thatl, J osnrn M. Mnmnn, a citizen of the United States of llmerica, residing of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire lilxtinguishcrs, of which the following is a s ec.itication.

Referrin to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like ide elevation of the e11- tire apparatus; Fig 2, a bottom view of the same; Fig. 3, aside and end vicwoi the handdischarge device; Fig. l, a section and end 1 View of the charging device: Fig. 5, a section and end view of the auto:natic-discharge de vice in its normal cotnlition; and Fig. ti, similar views of the same device, the 1 ion showing the parts at the moment of discharge.

This invention relates to that class of tireextinguishers in which a portable vessel is charged with a iire extinguishin solution under air-pressure and provided with means for discharging such fluid upon a fire by the force of the contained air-pressure. Structures of this class have been already provided in some instances with an automatic discharge held normally closed byfusible solder, which melts at dangerous surrounding temperatures and allows the extinguishing-liquid to be sprayed upon the tire, and in other instances with a discharge which can. be opened by hand to allow the liquid to be directed upon a tire; but with a strong air-pressure operating continuously in the can it has been found almost impossible to render it so perfectly air-tight as to enable the initial pressure to be main tained for a long time without material diminution. In the automatically discharging cans no means has been provided for enabling the air-pressure to be tested from time to time, so that the proprietor could see whether the apparatus could be relied upon 1 tained liquid when the can is in its normal for extinguishing a fire in the :tl'tSOllCtO of an attendant, nor has such (l pljnllill'llt so far as 1 am aware, been constructed to discharge its contents both automatically and at the will of an attendant.

The oliijects of my invention are, first, to render such structures perfectly air-tight under heavy and long-continued internal airpressures; secondly, to enable the degree of contained air'prcssurc in an automatic-dis charge extinguisher to be conveniently ascertained from. time to time, in order that its owner may know how far it can be relied upon to do its work automatically in the absence of an attendant. and, thirdly, to adapt such structures to be operated both automatically and at will.

To these ends my invention consists, pri marily, in combining the vessel with two discharge devices, one of which opens automatically through a sufficient increase in the surrounding temperature, and the other of which can at any time be opened and closed by hand, and, secondarily, in the sub-combinations and structural improvements, more particularly indicated by the several claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, (7 is a can or portable tank, of any preferred form and size, made of sheetiron or other suitable met-a1, air-tight, capable of resisting any desired degree of contained air-pressure without leakage, lined in any suitable way to prevent corrosion, and provided with an ear, ring, or hook, c, at one end or side for suspendin it from a cord, nail, or other support. This can is to be filled to about two-thirds of its capacity with a chemical tire-extinguishing solution of any approved kind, and is then, by means of any suitable apparatus, to be charged with a sufficient quantity of air under strong pressure to force its liquid contents out and project them to a considerable distance when any of the discharge-ports are opened.

The charging device represented at D, the automatic-diseharge device at A, and the hand-discharge device at I For the best results all three of said devices are arranged at the end or side opposite to that at which the ear or ring 0 is applied, so that all the passsages through which escape of air is ever possible shall be covered and sealed by the conposition. For the purposes of the main combination the two devices A B may be of any suit-able construction, and it is immaterial that they are separate from each other or arranged at ditiferent points; but in each of said devices, as well as in the device 1), the passage or port must be normally closed with a valve of soft rubber or other equivalent soft, flexible, elastic material impervious to air,

and not liable to corrosion from the chemical solutions contained in the vessel, and such valve must be forced strongly against its seat and locked or otherwise held there, so that it cannot unseat except for the performance of its appropriate functions. Each of the valved passages, wherever possible, is further guarded by an additional screw-plug or soldered cap, or both. The conjoint effect of these several provisions is to render the vessel so absolutely air-tight that its internal pressure is maintained undiminished for any length of time, and it is always in condition for effective use.

The SpGClfiC'COllStl'llCllUll of the several devices A B I) employed by me is as follows:

Referring to the filling device D, I construct this in the form of a metallic tube or capsule, (I, the inner end of which is closed by a perforated plate, cl, upon which rests a soft, elastic, flexible valve, (1 secured to the plate (1 at itscenter by a pin, (1, and provided with a rigid central plate, (1", held to itby said pin, so as to render the center of the valve rigid and leave only its edges flexible. This valve, which acts as a clieclevalve, will yield for the admission of the liquid and air under pressure through the tube (7., but under the'backpressure of the air so admitted will seat firmly upon the end plate, (1, preventing any escape backward. For additional security, however, I close 'the outer end of the tube (1 with a close-fitting internal screw-plug, (7. There is no possibility of the escape of air or liquid through the device when so constructed. The tube (Z is soldered or brazed into the bottom of the can.

Referring to the automatic-discharge' de= vice A, I construct this in the form of ashouldered tube, a, soldered or brazed into the bottom of the can, and provided with an internal flange, c, at its inner end. \Vithin this tube I arrange a sliding tube, (L2, having at its lower end a perforated rose-head, a or a deflector of any approved form, and at its upper end an external flange, a, to prevent its escape from the tube a. In the larger outer end of the tube a, I insert a thick close-fitting disk, c of soft, flexible, elastic material, which seats air-tight up against the internal shoulder, a, of said tube, and I provide a plug or cap, a which is inserted into the outer end of the tube, pressed firmly up against the disk (1 so as to hold the latter tightly to its seat, and soldered to the tube a with fusiblealloy solder, melting,preferably, at about 155,

Fahrenheit. The valve a keeps the liquid away from the fusible-solder joint, and prevents any chilling of the latter until the cap has been entirely discharged from the tube, and by its elastic force it aids the internal pressure (which acts through the sliding rosehead (L3) in forcing the cap out of the tube when the solder melts. \Vhen the valve and cap are out, the sliding rose-head a projects from the outer end of tube a.

Referring to the hand-discharge B, I first solder or braze into the can a tubular metal plug, 1), provided with screw-threads. Into this I insert a tubular discharge-stem, b, the inner end ofwhich preferably reaches nearly to the opposite side of the can, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and attach this tube to the plugb by means of threads D which screw into the threads of the former. I screw the shoulder I) up against the end of the plug 1), and cover the joint with solder, so as to prevent any escape of air at that point. The outer end of the tube 11 is enlarged, and a portion of it cut away to accommodate a swinging block, b, which is pivoted to the main stem at If, and is provided with a swinging link or strap, 1), carrying a setserew, U, by which to lock and tighten up the block against the body of the discharge device,as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Thc'inner end of the block b incli nes, preferably, atan angle of about forty-five degrees, and is provided with a plate or block of soft rubber, b secured to it by a wire, I), or by cement or other suit-able means, which rubber plate fits air-tight against an inclined shoulder, 11 upon the tube 1;, when the block is locked in the position shown in Fig. The central bore of the stem 19' contracts to a discharge-nozzle at this point, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, so as to be opened when the block is released, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and closed air-tight at all other times.

This improved structure, as a whole, is designed to be suspended at a proper elevation and position in the room to be protectecbwhere in the absence of an attendant it will operate automatically to spray water upon any accidental fire in consequence of the melting of the fusible solder by the rise of temperature occasioned thereby. It is also adapted, in case the fire occurs when an attendant is near, to be conveyed to the immediate neighborhood of the fire and opened by hand to direct the eXtinguishing-liquid in a concentrated stream upon the exact point where it is mostneeded, and thus extinguish the fire more quicklythan could be done by the spraying rose-head and with greater economy of the chemical solution. and closed very quickly, from which results the great advantage that it. can be used at any time as a petcock to test the degree of effective pressure in the can in case a suspicion should arise that it has not been properly filled or that leakage of air has occurred, thus enabling the proprietor to inform himself at any time of the exact extent to which he can rely upon his fire extinguisher forprotection, and to remedy any defective pressure in season, in which respect this part of the structure acts as the practical equivalent of apressuregage, but is much cheaper and less liable to become accidentally damaged. The stem 5 is preferably extended across nearly to the 0p posite sideof the can, so that in case the operator should desire to elevate the hand-discharge nozzle to give the discharging stream The hand-discharge B can be opened a greater range the liquid will cover the end of the tube until it is substantiallyexhausted from the can.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as n ewl. The combination, with a portablclirc-exiinguisher consisting, essentially, of an airtight receptacle or can containing a fire-extinguishing liquid and air or gas maintained under pressure and provid cd with a dischargevalve adapted to be operated by hand, and a supplemental discharge-valve applied at or near the base of the can and adapted to be re- 1 leased by an increase in temperature, whereby said receptacle is adapted for use as a portable extinguisher or as a stationary cXtin-i giusher by suspending it over or near the place to be protected,thehaml-operated valve serving a double purpose to discharge the contents and test the pressure, substantially as described.

2. In a lire-extinguisher such as described, the combination of the tube 11', containing the discharge-orifice, the block b", carrying the packing or valve, and the link to which the fastening for engaging the tube is attached, said block I)" being pivotally attached to the tube and swinging down to clear the discharge-orifice when the link is disengaged from the tube, substantially as described.

3. In a fire-extinguisher, the combination of the shouldered tube a with a sliding internal tube, (6 provided with a spraying device at 5 its outer end, and with a soft elastic block or 1 disk, a which closes the tube ct and against which said spraying device normally rests, and the retaining cap or plug, a secured in the tube a by fusible solder, substantially as described.

4. In a tire-extinguisher, the combination of the diseharge-tuljie I) with the rubber valve Zr, 1 the pivoted block b", for forcing the valve to its seat, the freely-swinging link b, and the set-screw b for tightening the pressure upon said orifices being located at or near the base of the can or receptacle, which latter is charged with a fire-extinguishing liquid and a volume of air or gas under pressure, whereby all the orifices being below the liquid the escape of air or gas is prevented, and should the orifices be imperfectly closed the liquid in escaping will indicate the fact that the appz'iratus is not in perfect order and requires attention.

JOSEPH )I. MILLER.

Witnesses:

L. HILL, E.l)1xo:v.

the valve while permitting of its rapid open 

